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Born in Ireland of English settlers, Wade was a professional soldier. In 1724 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of North Britain and sent to the Highlands. He concluded that the main obstacle to 'civilising' the area was the lack of good communications. During the next eleven years, Wade supervised the building of over 250 miles of roads and forty bridges. This painting shows Wade standing before his most spectacular feat of construction, the Corrieyairack Pass (completed 1731) on the road from Fort Augustus to Dalwhinnie and Ruthven. Ironically, the Jacobite armies found these roads very convenient; in 1745 Bonnie Prince Charlie's army used the Corrieyairack pass on its way south.

1745 Rising

An attempt by followers of Prince Charles Edward Stuart (or 'Bonnie Prince Charlie') to reclaim the British throne for the Stuart dynasty. The Prince landed in the Outer Hebrides from France in July 1745. With the support of many Highland chiefs he gathered an army and marched south. The rebels had significant victories against the Hanoverian troops and reached as far as Derby. There they turned back, unsure of their ability to take London, and were pursued by government forces. The final battle was held at Culloden in 1746 where Bonnie Prince Charlie was decisively beaten and hopes of a Jacobite restoration were dashed.

Jacobite

Jacobitism was a movement to restore the descendants of the Stuart King James VII and II to the British throne. The first claimant, Prince James Francis Edward (known as 'the Old Pretender') was exiled first in France, then Italy, from where he planned unsuccessful attempts to claim the throne. His son Prince Charles Edward (known as 'Bonnie Prince Charlie' or 'the Young Pretender') famously invaded Britain in 1745, but after some military successes was finally defeated at Culloden in 1746.

1745 Rising, Jacobite

Details

Acc. No.PG 2416

MediumOil on canvas

Size29.50 x 24.88 in.; 75.00 x 63.20 cm

CreditPurchased 1977

Attributed to Johan van Diest (Dutch, active 1718 - 1736)

John van Diest came from a dynasty of Dutch painters, originally from The Hague. His grandfather, Willem van Diest was a marine painter who settled in England with his son, Adriaen van Diest, the landscape painter, in 1672. Born in England, John van Diest may have been a pupil of Kneller. He worked as a copyist and painted portraits as well as landscapes and harbour scenes.